A young Muslim was booted off a plane at a North airport after asking cabin crew if he could pray before his flight, we can reveal.

The incident happened when the country was on high alert last weekend after an alleged terrorist attack at Glasgow airport.

A source told us that the man - who has not been named - boarded a Thomsonfly flight at Newcastle International Airport bound for a holiday in Malaga, Spain, with friends.

He asked staff if he could go in the galley area - which can be curtained off from passengers - and offer prayers before the flight took off.

However - according to our source - the flight attendant asked the plane's captain who promptly ordered the man off the aircraft.

Northumbria Police officers were waiting for the man in the departure lounge and searched him under terrorism laws.

All they found was a bottle of water, used by Muslims to wash themselves before prayer, a compass to ensure he was facing the holy city of Mecca, and a traditional prayer-mat.

The flight - TOM 4125 from Newcastle to Malaga - took off an hour later than its scheduled 4.20pm departure time last Sunday.

A spokeswoman for Thomson said: "The captain has the right to remove passengers from a flight if he feels their behaviour is detrimental to other customers. For legal reasons, we are unable to comment any further."

A Northumbria Police spokeswoman said: "We were called to the airport just before 5.15pm on Sunday after concerns were raised about a passenger.

"We attended and searched the man and found that no offence had been committed and everything was in order. The man was not arrested."

Azad Ali, executive leader of the counter-terrorism section of the Muslim Safety Forum, which liaises with police forces, appealed through the Sunday Sun for the man to come forward.

He said: "If the man feels hard done by then he will be upset by this.

"If he feels it difficult to gain resolution in Newcastle he can log onto our website and email us his details.

"We will then go to the Association of Chief Police Officers and ask them to look into it.

"However, it looks as if the airline itself is guilty of over reaction in this incident.

"There is a tendency for some people to blame an entire community for the actions of individuals. It's guilt by association."

The drama unfolded at a time that the security level was at its highest following the abortive car bombs found in London and the attack on Glasgow Airport where two men drove a Jeep Cherokee into the main terminal building.

The vehicle had gas cylinders on board . . . which have the potential to cause huge explosions. It is believed the gas cylinders and the car came from Teesside.

A total of eight suspects, all of them connected with the NHS, have been arrested since the Glasgow airport attack and the two failed car bombs discovered in central London the previous day.